Lotus Diagram Instructions
- Use the form included here or draw a ‘Tic-Tac-Toe’ chart (9 squares in 3
rows and 3 columns) on a piece of paper. Depending on the size you prefer
you could use anything from 3”X3” post-its to full-size paper. You will need a
total of 9 charts.
- Number the boxes as in our examples or use colour coding.
- Put your main idea, topic, project or problem in the centre box of the centre
chart.
- Think about or Brainstorm up to eight sub-topics or parts of the main idea.
- Place these sub-topics into the eight outside squares of the centre chart.
- Transfer these eight sub-topics to the centre squares of a correspondingly
numbered or coloured chart.
- Brainstorm again.
- Finally, prioritize your ideas and decide what you want to do, or who you want
to do it.
Below is a sample of a Lotus Diagram’s central chart around the main idea of
writing a newsletter. To its right is a sample of the breakdown of the sub-
topic #4 “Articles and Stories”:
As said earlier Lotus Diagrams can be used for a variety of purposes.
Another example would be a writing project, let’s say about a certain
animal. The animal would be your main topic. Sub-topics could be: what it
looks like, what it eats, how long it lives, where it is located, where it
makes its nest, etc. The Lotus Diagram helps the participant to break
their writing down into paragraphs, each with its own theme.
